Trolling-spoon.



PATENTED SEPT. 27, 1904.

R. G. HORNUNG.

TROLLING SPOON.

AP'PLIOATIONPILED JUNE 15, 1904.

NO MODEL.

F/G. 8. FIG. 3. FIG/U. FIE. FIG. /2. FIG/3.

WITNESSES.

Cfi 6% f 0 0) I UNITED STATES Patented September 27, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

TROLLING-SPOON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 770,858, datedSeptember 27, 1904.

Application filed June 15, 1904.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH C. HORNUNG, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements inTrolling-Spoons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fishing ortrolling spoons. Itsobject is to provide a lure or decoy of simple construction which willgenerally simulate the movements and characteristics of such fish as arepreyed upon by other fish and which will maintain such simulationwhether the trolling boat moves fast or slow through the water.

The trouble with the spoons generally on the market is that they eitherspin too rapidly when the boat goes fast or do not spin at all when theboat goes slow or are subject to both defects. and instead of attractingfish rather scare the fish away.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts, as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan viewof one form of my spoon in which both sides are symmetrical. Fig. 2 isanedge view of same. Figs. 3, 4, 5 are respective sections on lines a a,Z) I), c c of Fig. 1. Figs. 6, 7are plan views of opposite sides of aslightly modified form of my invention. Figs. 8 to 13, inclusive, arerespective sections on lines (Z cl, 6 aff, g g, it lb, 6 '2', Figs. 6,7.

A represents a metal plate forming the body of my improved spoon, whichis generally oblong in appearance, with gracefully tapered and roundedsymmetrical ends. The outline of the spoon is more especially that of aflattened ellipse. One end of the spoon is provided with the usualswivel connection 2 for attachment toa snellor line and the other end isfurnished with the usual hooks 3. The novelty resides in the peculiarcurving of plate A.

. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the lateral edges of the plate are slightlyturned up along nearly their entire length, as indicated at 4:, one inone direction and one in the other, and the Serial No. 212,678. (Nomodel.)

resented by the unshaded portion, that re- -mains in approximately thesame plane the plate on its minor axes or transverse diameters isessentially ogee in form, as plainly seen in Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 8 to 13,inclusive. In fact it may be said that the dominant characteristic ofthis spoon is that on all crosssections taken substantially at all ornearly all points along its length it is essentially ogee in form. Thisconstruction is to be differentiated from those spoons which are ogee inform essentially in the direction of their length. It is to be notedfurther that this dishing of the side edges and twisting the ends of theplate gives a graceful curve to the edges of the plate distinguished asbeing concaved in the middle and convexed at each end, as indicated inFig. 2.

The spoon of Figs. 6 and 7 differs only from that of Figs. 1 and 2 inthat the lateral dish given the spoon begins at or approximate to theswivel, as indicated at 5, on one side, but runs out just before itreaches the hook end of the plate, as indicated at 6, while on theopposite side of the plate the dish begins at a little distance from theswivel, as represented at 7, and continues unto the very end, where thehooks are attached. By this construction the water begins to act on oneside, as at 5, at a point nearer the swivel than on the other side, butthe influence of the water on this latter side is continued clear to thehook end.

The tendency of a spoon constructed as herein described has been foundto be for it to keep spinning in the water no matter how slow the boatgoes and at the same time for it not to spin too rapidly should the boatgo fast. This latter tendency I attribute to the lateral centrallongitudinal dish or concavity noted in Fig. 2, whereby a sort of longshallow pocket is formed on the two sides of the spoon, which act whenthe spoon is drawn rapidly through the water as a suction or drag on thewater in opposition to the general tendency of the spoon to spin. At thesame time the spoon does not tend todart erratically from side to side,but to travel in a more nearly natural and straight line behind theboat, and in case the boat stops the oppositely-curved edges of theplate cause the spoon .to keep turning even in settling to the bottom bygravity. The spoon in settling to the bottom will not fall dead nor skidon zigzag 0r inclined planes, but will fall more nearly straight andkeep rotating.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A trolling-spoon of elongated form essentially ogee shape incross-section.

2. A trolling-spoon having the form of an ellipse, slightly twisted atthe ends, and generally ogee in cross-section throughout its length.

3; A trolling-spoon having the form of a flattened ellipse and generallyogee in crosssection.

4. A trolling-spoon having the form of a flattened ellipse and generallyogee in crosssection, the ends of the spoon being oppositely twisted.

5. A trolling-spoon having the form of a flattened ellipse and generallyogee in crosssection, the ends of the spoon being slightly twisted inopposite directions.

6. A trolling-spoon generally elliptical in outline with the lateraledges upturned in opposite directions substantially throughout theirlength.

7 A trolling-spoon generally elliptical in outline with the lateraledges upturned in opposite directions substantially throughout theirlength, the endof the spoon being oppositely twisted in conformationwith the upturned edges.

8. A trolling-spoon generally oblong in appearance with curvedsymmetrical ends, a portion of the spoon, intermediate of its endshaving oppositely-upturned edges and essentially ogee in form in thedirection of its width.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

RUDOLPH C. HORNUNG.

Witnesses:

V. S. HoRNUNe, B. P. MALLATRATT.

, n, w" l r.

